Fuel-oil burner



M r h 192 a c 8 7 A. J. wooDcocK 1 FUEL OIL BURNER Filed Nov. 50, l1925 WMM weni'of/ yf/ Patented Mar. 8, 1927.

. une -srares ANDREW J. wooDcocK., or WILMETTE, ILLINOIS.

FUEL-0113 BURNER.

Application filed November This invention relates to a novel and improved fuel oil burner and more particularly to a generator for use with an oil burner to vaporize the oil.

In my co-pending application, Serial No. 675,310, filed November 17, 1923, I have disclosed a burner comprising a generator of the general type referred to above and to which the oil is fed by gravity or other suitable means and permitted to drop or flow in a thin stream into the generator where itis heated and thus vaporized. rlhe vapor or gas is permitted to escape by its own pressure acting' against the weight of a cap used to close a ground seat. rlhe gas escaping from the generator is directed downwardly thereabouts and ignited to supply the heat which is necessary to generate the from the oil in the generator, this result being achieved by a current `of air directed downwardly on the generator. d,

Itis the obj ect of my invention to improve upon the construction of the generator briefly described above by providing a surface therein on which the oil be received and spread out in order that it may be more etciently heated and thus more quickly reduced to gas.

A still further object is to provide a` generator of such form that thergas escaping therefrom may more nearly surround the entire generator and in particular will come in contact with the surface of the generator over which the oil has been spread.

A still further object' is to simplify the construction of the generator disclosed in my aforesaid co-pending application, by materially reducing the number of parts therein.

A still further object is to provide a gen- `erator having a generating surface over which the oil is spread, and which surface is-of a large area, without materially increasing the sizeof the generator as a whole.

In the drawing in which l have 'shown selected embodiments of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view'through l'one form of my improved generator;

Fig. 2 is a similar section showing a modi- -lication and l Y Fig. 3 is similar view showing still another modification.

Referring now to the drawing particularly to Fig. l, the numeral 1 designates a base plate on which may be supported one .0r morergenerators, the number beinga inat- 30, 1925. Serial N0. 72,070.

ter of choice, as fully brought out in my aforesaid co-pending application. ln the. instant application l have limited the dis` closure to one generator, as it is to the details of the generator that the present invention relates. Supported on the base `plate 1 in any suitable manner is my generator' body 2 which I have shown as formed withv a chamber 3 for the generation of gas fromy oil which is fed into said chamber. I provide the generator with a flat bottom 4t substantially circular in form, whereby the chamber 3 is provided with a fiat bottom surface 5. Preferably integral with the bottom A is an upwardly inclined flange 6 curved vertically, asshown, and terminating in a preferably ground seat 7 to support a weighted cap 8. The cap is substantially surrounded by the branch 9 of a dome through which air is supplied to the generator in a manner fully set forth in my aforesaid cofpending application.

Oil or other liquid fuel is supplied to the generator by means of a pipe 10 passing through the base plate l and terminating within a recess l1Y in the weighted cap 8.- A suitable space 12 is left between the end of the pipe and the upper end of th-o recess 11 and there is a clearanceb'etween the outside of the pipe and the surfaceof the recess for i fuel is admitted through the pipe 10, itv

being understood, of course, that the supply may be regulated bv any suitable valve 14.

TheV amount of oilppermitted to enter the pipe 10 is sutlicient to reach the top ofV theV pipe and enter the space 12. The clearance between the outside lof the pipelO and the walls of the recess 11 lisproperly designed so that `the oil. will then drip down the outside of the pipe or run down in a thin-film. As it reaches the bottoni of th-e lcylindrical extension 13, the oil will drop on to the surface 5 and Spread out thereover- .AS dis- ,@.lesed` in my aforesaid co-pendue, application, I lprovideatrough 15 immediately under the generator to receive a priming charge of fuel. 'Ihis fuel is ignited in the initial operation of the burner and it will Vbe seen that with the form of generator I have herein disclosed, the oil spread over the surface 5 will rapidly vaporize and the resulting gas will lill the generator'. When this gas reaches a certain pressure, it will lift the weighted cap 8 and flow out at the point where the weighted cap rests on the ground seat '7. The current of air liowing through the branch 9 of the dome will direct the gas downwardly around the curved sides 6 and under the bottom 4, rlfhe downward current of air tends to increase the force of the gas, which is initially directed downwardly by the overhanging lip 1G of the weighted cap 8, unless the force of the gas happens to be greater than the force of the air, in which case the force of the would form a suction, tending to draw the air more rapidly from the dome. In either case, the result is that the gas is a substantial distance from the point where it leaves the generator before it is inited thus prevent-ine" the for- 23 7 l tl Vmation of carbon at that oint and insurn 6 of the generator will also aid in heating the gas within the chamber by conduct-ing heat to the bottom 4 and thus to the generat ing surface 5, and also by heating the gas which rises from the generating surface, thus maintaining it in its heated condition until the time when it leaves the generator to become ignited. I have found that the oil, as it strikes the heated generating surface, is immediately reduced to gas.

Referring to Fig. 2, this figure shows another form which my invention may take,

' and it provides an increase in the size of the generating surface, at the saine time reducing the size of the generator as a whole. In this form, the generator is made in the shape of a hollow truncated cone having the bottom 4 of substantially greater diameter than in the form shown in Fig. 1. cal side 17 provides a surface down which the flame is directed .in the same manner in which it is directed down the curved side G. It will be seen that the chamber in this form is somewhat smaller than in the form of Fig. 1, but the generating surface 5 is much larger and I have found'that the area of this surface governs the capacity of the generator. yBy making the bottom 4 suticiently thin, I provide a surface which is rapidly heated by the flame which follows the surface of the generator around under the bottoin 4, thus causing immediate gasifying of the oil which drops thereon. This form is otherwise like that of Fig. l in all respects.

In Fig 3 I have shown a still further modication of my invention, in this case the bottom 4 being of substantially greater diameter than those in either'Figs. l or 2, and being joined to the conical side 18 by means of a flattened annular surface 19, spaced from t-he bottom 4, but generally parallel thereto. By this means the 'surface 5 is provided and because of its greater area, the capacity of the generator is greatly increased, without materially increasing the size of the generator' as a whole. In' all other respects this form ofthe invention is the same as that shown in 1 and it operates in the saine manner. The ignited gas will not only heat the oil which falls upon the generating surface, by contact of the flame with the bottom 4, but also by contact of the flame with the surface 19. It will be seen that in all forms of my invention the generating surface is pitched downwardly away from the center, so as to convey the oil dropped thereon toward the outer limits of the surface, and while the gas is generated from the oil almost instantly upon its striking the generating surface, nevertheless, by providing the surface 19 so as to heat the oil which reaches the outer limits of the generating surface from both top and bottom, I insure that this oil shall be thoroughly gasiiied, and this is particularly true in the initial operation of the burner, when there may be a certan amount of oil collected on the generating surface. At this stage, such voil will he collected between the surface 4 and 19 in the modification of Fig. 3 and will be most effectively heated because of the contact of thelame with the surfaces 19 and 4.

From the above it will be seen that I have provided a generator which will be extremely eificient in operation, immediately reducing to gas the oil which is fed thereto. automatically controlling the escape of the gas and burning the gas exteriorly of the genen ator at a place where it will most eciiiciently supply the necessary heat to cause continued generation of gas within the generator.

Furthermore, it will he apparent that I have reduced the number of parts in the generator to a minimum. l3y making the cap with its downward extension in one piece, the cost of production and assembling is materially reduced.

I am aware that changes in the form, construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and without sacrificing the advantages of the invention and I reserve the right to make all such changes as fairly fall. within the scope of the following claims.

I claim: j

l. A generator for vaporizing the fuel oil for an oil burner and comprising a body Open at the top, having a substantially flat bottom, and inclosing a generating chamber, the bottom of the body being accessible to the flame from the generator, an oil fuel supply tube projecting through the` bottom of the body and through the chamber therein to the top of the body, and a Weighted cap arranged to rest upon the open top of the body to close the same and having an extension projecting into the vaporzing chamber and provided with a recess to receive the oil fuel supply tube, there being a clearance between the walls of said recess and the tube at the side and at the top thereof.

2. A generator for vaporizing the fuel oil for an oil burner and comprising a bod open at the top, having a substantially flat bottom, and inclosing a generating chamber, an oil fuel supply tube projecting through the bottom of the body and through the chamber therein and to the top of the body, and a weighted cap arranged to rest upon the open top of the body to close the same andhaving an extension projecting into the vaporizing chamber and provided with a recess to receive the oil fuel supply tube, there being a clearance between the walls of said recess and the tube at the side and at the top thereof, thewall of the body being inclined outwardly from the open top of the body towards the bottom of the body.

3. A generator for vaporizng thel fuel oil for an oil burner and comprising a body open at the top, having a substantially flat bottom, and inclosing a generating chamber, an oil fuel supply tube projecting through the bottom of the body and through the chamber therein and to the top of the body, and a weighted cap arranged to rest upon the open top of the body toclose the same and having an extension projecting into the vaporizing chamber and provided with a recess to receive the oil fuel supply tube, there l being a clearance between the walls of said recess and the tube at the side and at the top thereof, the wall of the body being inclined outwardly from the open top of the body towards the bottom of the body, the cap having an annular lip which projects beyond the edge of the open end of the body.

ANDREW J. WOODCOCK. 

